Monthly Archives: May 2011

Do you have hundreds of “Likes” on your nonprofit’s Facebook page but still struggle to secure volunteers? Even worse, and a lament I recently heard, more “Likes” than the number of annual campaign donations received to date? Do people “Like” your message enough to click on a tick box or “LIKE” it enough to write a letter to legislators when your funding is threatened by budget cuts? Come to think of it, how many of your “Likes” have you met in person at an agency or community event?

I know, you have just exhaled after achieving a solid, fairly active presence on Twitter and Facebook and now the goalposts are being moved – no, not really. Look at a “Like” as a nod of the head or a high-five in favor of your message. These are the people who you want to team up with to make *insert your nonprofit’s goal here* happen. If you aren’t inviting them to partner with you to make this change (or any change), then those “Likes” mean very little.

You can turn these virtual thumbs-ups to your organization’s mission into tangible actions that will benefit your cause, your clients and the larger community. To help you along the way, check out Amy’s post for a set of initial steps and a treasure trove of links to resources to help you plan (and measure – always measure) how to take a “Like” and make it into something much more.

A technical report from the RAND Corporation presents a compilation of resources and strategies for community and faith-based organizations to expand and improve their health services. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provides opportunities for organizations to build capacity and diversify their healthcare programming and activities based on community needs. Is your organization ready to take a leading role in improving the health and well-being of your neighbors, clients and stakeholders?

If you are strategizing ways to connect the younger generation of volunteers, donors and supporters with your nonprofit event, drive or cause – a good first step is to examine their communication habits.

An April 2010 study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project (of the Pew Research Center) found the preferred method of communications for teenagers and their friends was mobile phone texting. Yes, texting – not calling, not emailing. In fact, among teens, cell phone calls were the second most preferred method of communication within their peer group.

According to the report Teens and Mobile Phones by Amanda Lenhart, Rich Ling, Scott Campbell and Kristen Purcell, the core of the teenage communications hub is the text. Other findings from the report include:

75 percent of 12 to 17-year-olds own cell phones, as do 90 percent of their parents;

88 percent of teens who use mobile phones text message, girls text more than boys and teens between the ages of 14-17 text more than their 12 and 13 year old counterparts; and

over half of teens text daily, 50 percent of those send 50 or more text messages a day, 33 percent send over 100 texts daily.

Pennsylvania is looking to balance the budget by cutting and curtailing human services programs even as the need for such services has increased.

United Way of Allegheny County and The Pittsburgh Foundation have partnered to promote the campaign Why Cut What Works? in response to these cuts aimed at human and social services funding in Pennsylvania. The campaign encourages those who have received services like those on the chopping block to share their stories (via written word or video) of how Pennsylvania nonprofits have impacted their lives with the policymakers in Harrisburg.

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Nonprofit Resource Memo is an informational blog for the nonprofit community in western Pennsylvania (and beyond) featuring posts on news, research, policy initiatives and trends that impact the human and social services sector.